How to Send Emails from a Gmail Alias in WP Mail SMTP

How to Send WordPress Emails From a Gmail Alias

Do you want to send emails from a Gmail alias in WordPress?

Sending from a Gmail alias is handy if you want to use different aliases for different plugins or contact forms. You can use this as an alternative to email services such as Outlook or Mailgun.

With WP Mail SMTP, you can send emails from:

  • Google Workspace (G-Suite) aliases
  • Regular Gmail addresses (@gmail.com or @googlemail.com)
  • Gmail aliases at a custom domain name

It’s easy to set up Gmail aliases on your site. We’ll show you what you need to do in the guide below.

Add Your Google Workspace Alias to WordPress

How to Send Emails From a Gmail Alias in WP Mail SMTP

Step 1: Install the WP Mail SMTP Plugin

First, let’s install WP Mail SMTP.

Head to your WP Mail SMTP account and open up the Downloads tab. Click the orange button to download the zip file.

Download WP Mail SMTP to fix Elementor contact form not sending email

Now you’ll want to upload the plugin to your WordPress website.

Install WP Mail SMTP

Need help? Check out this guide on how to install a plugin in WordPress.

When you Activate the plugin, the Setup Wizard will open in your browser. Pause the setup process here and open up a new tab to continue setting up your Gmail or Google Workspace alias.

Step 2: Create a New Email Alias (Google Workspace Only)

If you want to send WordPress emails from Gmail or a Google Workspace alias, we’ll show you how to set it up now. If you’re using regular Gmail, you can skip this section and move on to Step 3.

To complete this section, you’ll need to be a Google Workspace administrator for your Google Workspace organization.

Start by opening up the Google Workspace Admin console. It’s easiest to do this from the Gmail interface for your ‘main’ Google Workspace email address: look to the toolbar across the top and click the gear icon.

Open Gmail or G-Suite settings

Next, click Manage this organization.

Manage your G-Suite organization

You’ll see the Google Admin console open up.

Find the Users section here: it’s usually right on the homepage, but if it’s not, you can use the search bar to find it.

Click Create an alternative email address (email alias) to make your new alias.

Create an alias in G-Suite admin

Next, you’ll be prompted to type in the username for the Google Workspace account you want to add the alias to.

Create username for new G-Suite alias

When you’ve selected the account, click Proceed. You’ll be asked to type in the first part of the email and select the domain.

Select domain for new alias in G-Suite

Once you’ve completed the setup steps, your new alias will be confirmed. You can use the pencil icon to tweak the settings here if you need to.

Confirmed alternative email in G-Suite

Now we’re done, you can close the Google Workspace Admin console.

Next, we need to add your alias as a From address in Gmail.

Step 3: Add Your New Alias as a From Address in Gmail SMTP

Next, we’re going to set up your Gmail alias as a From address in Gmail.

It’s important to complete this step so that your WP Mail SMTP can ‘see’ the alias in WordPress.

To start, you’ll want to log in to your Gmail account for the main Gmail or Google Workspace account you’re using. Use your web browser so you can access all of the settings.

Then click the gear icon to open up the Quick settings panel.

Open Gmail or G-Suite settings

From the panel, click the See all settings button.

Gmail or G-Suite settings

Next, from the tabs across the top, click the Accounts tab. In Gmail, this is labeled Accounts and import.

G-Suite Accounts settings tab

Scroll down to the Send mail as section. You should see your primary address here.

Let’s click Add another email address.

Add an alias in Gmail or G-Suite

A popup will open up so you can type in the From Name and email address that you want to add. If you just created a Google Workspace alias, type in the details here.

Take note of the Treat as an alias checkbox – it should be already checked.

Then click Next Step to continue setting up your Gmail SMTP.

Add new From address in Gmail or G-Suite

If you’re using a custom domain with Gmail, you’ll be asked for the SMTP details next. You won’t see this for a Google Workspace or Gmail address.

Gmail alias SMTP settings for custom domain

Next, Google will ask you to verify your email address for Gmail SMTP configuration.

When you click the Send Verification button, Google will send an email to the new From address.

Send verification for new Gmail or G-Suite alias

Follow the steps in the email to confirm that you want to use the email address as an alternate From address for your account.

Once that’s done, you’ll see your new From address in your Gmail settings.

Alias added in Gmail or G-Suite

Great! That’s all we need to do. Now you have 2 different From addresses in Gmail, you can use both of them in WP Mail SMTP.

If you have multiple aliases, repeat these steps for each one.

Let’s switch over to your WordPress site to complete the setup.

Step 4: Select Your New Alias in WP Mail SMTP

Now you’ve added your new alias as a From address in Gmail, it’ll appear in WP Mail SMTP automatically.

If you’re new to WP Mail SMTP, let’s first look at how to select an alias in the Setup Wizard. Then, we’ll show you how to change this setting if Gmail is already set up on your website.

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP With the Wizard

If you haven’t run the setup wizard yet, you can go ahead and pick that up now. You’ll want to follow our documentation on how to set up the Gmail mailer in WP Mail SMTP.

After you’ve added the account keys, you’ll see a dropdown where you can choose either your primary address or your alias as the primary From Email in the WP Mail SMTP plugin settings.

Dropdown for alias in WP Mail SMTP Wizard

The primary From address will be used for all outgoing email if you check the Force From Email setting.

That’s all there is to it! Complete the Wizard and send a test email to your new aliases!

Changing Your Existing Gmail Settings

If you’ve already set up WP Mail SMTP in WordPress, you can easily change the primary From Address to your new Gmail alias.

You’ll find the setting on the plugin Settings page.

WP Mail SMTP settings menu

Scroll down to the Mail section and use the dropdown to select your primary alias as the From Email.

Gmail alias dropdown in WP Mail SMTP settings

As we said before, the email you select here will be the primary From address. If you check the Force From Email setting, all of the plugins on your site will use it.

And that’s it! Now you’ve added your aliases in WP Mail SMTP.

Step 5: Using Multiple Aliases With Different Plugins

WP Mail SMTP lets you use different Gmail or Google Workspace aliases on different parts of your site.

For example, you might want to send your contact form notifications with a From Address of [email protected], and your WooCommerce emails with a From Address of [email protected].

This is an awesome way to match up the plugins and contact forms with your Google Workspace or Gmail mailbox.

To use more than 1 alias, you’ll want to make sure that the Force From Email checkbox is deselected in your WP Mail SMTP settings.

Now you can use any of your aliases in WordPress and your emails will always be authenticated.

Fix Your WordPress Emails Now

FAQ on Gmail Aliases in WordPress

Here are some of the common questions we get about using Gmail aliases in WordPress.

How Do I Link My WordPress Email to Gmail SMTP Server?

You can send WordPress emails from Gmail or Google Workspace with WP Mail SMTP.

When you set up a WordPress website, most of the emails it generates are sent via your web hosting server. This method doesn’t add any authentication, so the mail servers receiving those emails often discard them or file them in the Junk Mail folder.

To fix this, WP Mail SMTP lets you set up a Google email alias in WordPress, so you can send messages from your Google account.

WP Mail SMTP also lets you use more than 1 Gmail alias in WordPress. So you can:

  • Send emails from an alias instead of your primary Gmail or Google Workspace address.
  • Use different aliases for different WordPress plugins or contact forms.

Can I Use a Domain Alias as a From Address?

Yes, you can.

A domain alias is a secondary domain that’s added to your Google Workspace. When you add the secondary domain, all of the email addresses at the primary domain get created at the domain alias as well. So there’s no need to go through Step 2 of this tutorial.

Instead, start at Step 3 to add your domain alias email address as a From address in the Gmail web interface. You’ll then be able to select it as a From address in WP Mail SMTP.

Why Is WP Mail SMTP Using the Wrong Gmail Alias?

You can use any verified Gmail or Google Workspace alias as a From Address in WordPress.

Note that the email address you use must exactly match the alias you set up.

If the From email doesn’t match your Workspace alias, WP Mail SMTP will send the emails from your primary Gmail address, which is the one you’ve selected as the ‘default’ From Address in your WP Mail SMTP settings.

Do I Need to Change My DNS Records?

Yes, you need to set up new DMARC, DKIM, or SPF records if you’re sending WordPress emails through Google Workspace or Gmail with a custom domain.

If you’re sending WordPress emails with an email address ending in @gmail.com, you don’t need to change any DNS records. You can ignore the warnings in WP Mail SMTP.

Why Are My WordPress Emails Not Going to Gmail Alias?

Gmail doesn’t allow messages that you send from your primary Gmail to your own alias’ inbox. You can view messages in the Sent folder of your primary Gmail account.

Add Your Google Workspace Alias to WordPress

Next, Fix Gmail Warning Messages On Your Emails

Are you seeing warning messages in Gmail when you receive emails from WordPress?

Be careful with this message error in Gmail

These warnings aren’t usually serious, but they can be worrying for you and your visitors. Check out this guide to fixing ‘be careful with this message’ warnings in Gmail.

Ready to fix your emails? Get started today with the best WordPress SMTP plugin. If you don’t have the time to fix your emails, you can get full White Glove Setup assistance as an extra purchase, and there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee for all paid plans.

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Claire Broadley

Claire is the Content Manager for the WP Mail SMTP team. She has 13+ years' experience writing about WordPress and web hosting. Learn More

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18 comments on “How to Send WordPress Emails From a Gmail Alias

    1. Hi River

      To use a Gmail alias with WordPress, you’ll want to use the Google API rather than the SMTP server. The API is more secure, and it allows you to use any of the aliases set up in your Gmail or Google Workspace account.

      Please check out our guide to setting up Gmail with WP Mail SMTP for full details on setting this up.

      I hope this helps 🙂

      1. Can you re-check “Add another email address.” part. I see that Google required SMTP details?

      2. Hi Ha Quang Hien,

        I apologize for any confusion with this. SMTP should not be required, and instead you should be setting up the Gmail API. For more details on setting up a web app in your Google account, you can read through our guide here: https://wpmailsmtp.com/docs/how-to-set-up-the-gmail-mailer-in-wp-mail-smtp#create-app

        If you need some extra guidance with this and you have a WP Mail SMTP license, you have access to our email support, so please submit a support ticket.

        Otherwise, we provide limited complimentary support in the WP Mail SMTP Lite WordPress.org support forum.

        I hope this helps!

        Thank you 🙂

  1. If the pop up box is asking for a username and password, where do I pull this information from? This information is missing from your instructions. I’ve tried using my email address and password for this, but I keep getting this error message: Authentication failed. Please check your username/password.
    Server returned error: “DNS Error: 9714727 DNS type ‘aaaa’ lookup of smtp.hivecafe.ca responded with code NXDOMAIN 9714727 DNS type ‘a’ lookup of smtp.hivecafe.ca responded with code NXDOMAIN , code: 0”

    1. Hi Emma,

      In the Username and Password fields you should be able to use your email address and the email address password. Did you double-check that these were correct?

      If you need some extra guidance with this and you have a WP Mail SMTP license, you have access to our email support, so please submit a support ticket.

      Otherwise, we provide limited complimentary support in the WP Mail SMTP Lite WordPress.org support forum.

      I hope this helps!

      Thank you 🙂

  2. Using the Gmail API on the flagship of a WordPress Multisite. Am I able to use the same API credentials on the satellite sites of that multisite? They are all using different domain names, but the WPMailSMTP Gmail API authorization will be a single gmail address.

    1. Hi Tory,

      Yes, you can use the same credentials (Client ID & Client Secret) connected to a single email address to configure all of your subsites.

      I hope this helps. Thanks!

  3. Only one of my aliases showed in the “From Email” dropdown menu and it’s not the alias I want to use. I reset everything and removed all the aliases from workspace leaving only the one I want to use. The “From Email” dropdown menu is still showing the one alias I don’t want to use even though this alias doesn’t exist in my work spaces anymore. Is there a way to solve this?

    1. Hi Jesse,

      Thanks for reaching out! You need to log into the specific email account that you have created the Gmail mailer connection on your site to remove alias emails. For more information, please refer to this article.

      In case if you still see that alias email, you can try removing your existing mailer connection under the WP Mail SMTP -> Settings page and reconnect.

      I hope this helps. Thanks!

  4. I can’t get my logo to show on sent emails. I have the wpmail smpt plugin all installed and configured according to the plugin guide. The received email is sent with the correct name but the logo is showing a random gravatar. Any ideas how to change the gravatar on sent emails?

    1. Hi Gavin,

      The purpose of the WP Mail SMTP plugin is to route your WordPress notifications using your authenticated email address, and the WP Mail SMTP plugin does not have a way to control or change your email content.

      You need to check the plugin (or theme) that is generating those emails to change the actual content or functionality (Eg: WPForms, Contact Form 7, Divi theme, Elementor, etc).

      I hope this helps. Thanks!

  5. Hello,

    I have several ecommerce (on different domains) and a Google Workspace account.
    I have created wpmailsmtp and configured everything from the “Master” Google account.
    Now all e-commerce sites send emails from that master email account, but I do NOT have “Force sender email” activated, so I would have to take the email from each of the domains as the value.
    How could I solve it so that it takes the value of each domain, for example [email protected]?
    And when someone clicks on “reply” the email “Master” does not appear, but instead the email from [email protected]

    Sorry if it is poorly translated. I have used Google Translate.

    Thank you

    1. Hi Juan,

      You can only send emails using your WP Mail SMTP configured email account. To configure each site with its specific domain name, you also need to have an email system configured on each domain (for example, Google Workspace).
      Then, you can configure the WP Mail SMTP plugin on each site using your preferred email address.
      – example.com ([email protected])
      – yourdomain.com ([email protected])

      I hope this helps. Thanks!

  6. Hi, I followed the instructions for setting up an alias and when I got to
    the step: Add another email address you own “Configure your mail to be sent through *******.com SMTP servers”

    after pressing “Add Account” I received the error message in red:
    “Couldn’t reach server. Please double-check the server and port number.”

    1. Hi Boris,

      It appears that you’re experiencing an issue related to that mailbox. If you have an alternative email account, you may try adding that or reach out to your email provider with that error message.

      I hope this helps. Thanks!

  7. Buonasera, utilizzo un gruppo in Google Workspace con indirizzo [email protected] , posso impostarlo per l’invio email? Ora mi esce solo l’indirizzo mio principale. Vorrei usare la mail di gruppo.

    Grazie

    1. Hi Raimondo,

      If it is a valid email address, you should be able use it to send emails. Please follow the guide and let us know how it goes.

      Thanks!

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